MA Student Social Media Ban Bill Among 'Most Restrictive In The Country'

MASSACHUSETTS — A proposed Massachusetts ban on social media app use for all children 13 years old or younger would be among the "most restrictive in the entire country."

House Speaker Ron Mariano and Ways and Means Committee Chair Aaron Michlewitz are pushing the bill that they said is necessary because of the detrimental effects and predatory algorithms of apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other on developing and vulnerable children.

The proposed bill would ban all social media apps for those up to 13 years old and require verified permission for apps for 14- and 15-year-olds.

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The details of enforcement would be on the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office.

"The simple reality is that Massachusetts must do more to ensure that our laws keep pace with modern challenges —especially when it comes to protecting our children, and to setting students up for success in the classroom and beyond," Mariano and Michlewitz said in a joint statement.

The House bill, if passed this week, would have to be reconciled with a Senate bill passed earlier this session that bans all cell phones in schools but does not address overall social media use.

That bill looks to implement a unified statewide ban, as individual school districts have issued their own restrictions in recent years — such as so-called smart phone "pouches" where students place the phone in individual storage containers each day that only unlock either between academic periods or at the end of the school day.

If passed, the social media ban would take effect on Oct. 1.

Other states, such as Florida, that have attempted to implement similar complete bans on social media use have had those laws challenged in courts on the basis of First Amendment rights.

Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday canceled a press conference set to announce "new legislation to establish strong protections for teens on social media and create safer online experiences for young people across Massachusetts."

During her State of the State address last month, Healey said: "Something we all worry about is social media. Look, scrolling TikTok or Instagram, it's fun! But there's a time and a place. And especially for our kids, it's driving so much anxiety and impacting their self-esteem.

"These platforms are built with addictive algorithms and they exploit insecurities, especially in our young people. So I am proposing strict new requirements to protect kids and teens on social media. We will require parental consent and age verification on all of these platforms.

"We're going to prevent social media companies from targeting kids for profit. Parents are trying to protect their kids, and we're going to help them do it."

New York, Arizona, Oklahoma, and South Carolina are among the states that have enacted phone-free school bans.

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